Does this refugium diagram look right?

[soulFish]

Does this look right? I'm trying to figure out the refugium sump tank. From what I can see could be 3 different areas within the sump.

"a" the water in point, where you would also have plants, animal and a sand bottom.

"b" the middle section where the water would overflow from section "a". This area should also have a heater, but no sand bottom?

"c" this section would have a power head to pump it up and back into the tank, this area should also have no sand.


Does this look right? How much space should be section off on a,b & c sections? Should one area be larger than the others? Should they all be equal? And finally what sized power heads should I get for the intake and outflow sections? Should these power heads be the same? The tank will be about 3' above the sump. The tank is a 90gal and the sump could hold full 29Gal.

Any thoughts on advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[soulFish]

Ok so I think this is closer. Thoughts?

 

[LoTech]

Just about right! You shouldn't really need two sets of triple baffles unless you are moving a lot of water. There are lots of ways to do this, but here is how I do it:

The (A) portion of the refugium should be very small, the single baffle should be almost as high as the tank, the outflow pipe should be almost an inch underwater to silence the waterfall sounds. Having the baffle high will give you a constant water column so the pipe is always slightly immersed. The water level can vary in part B and C like in any sump, but you want it constant in A.

The (B) portion should be most of the tank so you can put in plenty of plants. If you want rooted plants, go with flourite or something with nutrients, not sand.

The (C) partition should be just big enough to hold the pump. The middle baffle should be quite a bit higher than the two next to it so you don't need keep your sump's water level constant to avoid bypassing the baffles.

The water level in parts B and C will always be at least as high as the lowest baffles, so make sure they are high enough to let your plants grow, but low enough to let the sump handle any overflow when you turn off the pump.

Hope that made sense...

 

[LoTech]

And finally what sized power heads should I get for the intake and outflow sections? Should these power heads be the same? The tank will be about 3' above the sump. The tank is a 90gal and the sump could hold full 29Gal.

Just noticed this... You use one and only one pump - as shown in your diagram. The outflow from your tank into the refugium must be an overflow, NOT (repeat NOT) a powerhead. If your tank has a hole in the bottom for an internal overflow, great. If not, drill one or make a syphon overflow.

 

[Dr Joe]

On a scale of 1-10 I give it a 9.999 (I have to take off for penmanship).

You know, if you put some scrubbies with poly-fil on top in 'A' you got a W/D .

Dr Joe

.

 

[soulFish]

Ok so it this diagram look better?

The only thing though is my tank is glass and I'm concerned about drilling into it to create a drain. Total glass failure could result from drilling. A powerhead for the outflow from the tank will not work? How would you build a spill over without drilling the tank? Would that have to raise the level of water past the glass in order to do that?

 

[soulFish]

Ok here's the latest, diagram. Hopefully this one is much closer. You guys see any problems with this? A Few guys stated that by adding the tripple baffels on the intake side will slow the flow to the planted area, thus not kicking up the substrate. And as for flos the right side water level is higher to promote the right to left water movement

 

[nbku3vm]

The only thing though is my tank is glass and I'm concerned about drilling into it to create a drain. Total glass failure could result from drilling. A powerhead for the outflow from the tank will not work? How would you build a spill over without drilling the tank? Would that have to raise the level of water past the glass in order to do that?[/QUOTE]


Look on ebay or at or local LFS. They have some really nice hang on overflow systems that incorporates a syphon to get your water to the sump. They are a nifty littl gizmo that fit below your water surface. they can be adjusted to determine the correct water level in your main tank. By incorporating the use of an air pump, they never loose suction!

 

[rayman45]

the last pic is the way to go.

 

[Bderick67]

As I recall from other posts, aren't you going with fresh water? A refugium on a fresh water tank really has very little benefits. you'd be better off increasing the media space for the biological filtration.

If you are doing salt then just ignore my ramblin'